Save The Last Dance For Me
by anonyreaderfan
Summary: Klaus and Elijah, running into trouble in New Orleans, have returned home searching for a way to gain more power. A short dark story
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries is the property of the CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

~ X ~

Klaus, arm resting on the window sill, hand cradling his forehead, was roused from his inward contemplation to an awareness of the present by the slowing of the car. It came to a stop in the middle of the road facing a sign that read 'Welcome to Mystic Falls'.

He started and then looked over at his brother. "Why are you stopping?"

"Can't you feel it?" Elijah asked, leaning forward hands gripping the steering wheel. He shifted the car into park, indifferent to the fact that he blocked the lane.

"Feel what?" Klaus shifted in his seat, looking from side to side trying to determine what he had missed.

"All the memories," Elijah not quite whispered. "I've lived in so many places . . . loved some of them . . . hated some of them . . . indifferent to most of them. But none have ever had the power to dredge up old thoughts like this place. Recollections I've suppressed or long forgotten. Things I treasured. . . things I can't bury deep enough."

He looked around puzzled, eyes searching the woods on both sides of the road. "The trees aren't the same as when we lived here. Is it in the soil? Or the air? Or the bones buried in the ground?" He shook his head as if trying to clear it. "I don't know why but no other place on earth makes me feel so old." He hesitated. "Or so insignificant."

Klaus reached a hand out across the seat, resting it on Elijah's impeccably suited shoulder. A brief comforting grip and then, grim faced, he confided, "I know. I hoped never to come back to this cursed town. This hell on earth. This place they lived."

Elijah knew without asking that 'they' were their mother and father.

Klaus shuddered suddenly. "Let's get this over with."

Elijah did not immediately put the car in gear. "Do you think we can pull this off?"

Klaus's eyes turned hard, and he pounded a fist on the dashboard. "We have to. Davina is giving Marcel an edge that we can't match unless this works."

Elijah turned his head to meet and hold Klaus's gaze. "There's enough power here, but can we control it, or will it turn against us and destroy us? The last time we pulled this much power it didn't go well."

Klaus dimpled. "I'm willing to bet it all. I don't like losing." He gave his brother a gentle punch on the shoulder. "Have faith in me and my charms."

Elijah smiled briefly and then nodded, knowing his younger brother all too well. "But there are others beside yourself to think of," he reminded him.

Klaus knew he referred to his unborn child and knowing his susceptible brother, probably the mother Haley. Klaus, lips compressed in a thin line, looked straight ahead. "This will allow me to guarantee their safety."

Elijah sighed and shifted the car into drive. He realized that Klaus would not budge on this. A restless movement in the back seat prompted Klaus to twist his neck around and ask a tall lovely dark haired woman, "Everything okay back there, luv?"

"Yes," Lucy Bennett responded. She was wide eyed but had made no move to escape while the car was not moving.

"Not much longer love," Klaus reassured her. Klaus settled back in the comfortable leather seat, running through the preparations in his mind.

Eventually Elijah pulled over to the side of the road, half in the breakdown lane and half on a grassy area bordering woods. The brothers didn't need to talk. Klaus opened the door and ordered Lucy up front into the passenger seat. His pupils dilated. "If anyone stops, you're with your boyfriend, and he had to stop in the woods to take a leak. He'll be right back. You do not leave the car. You do not ask for help."

She nodded and got in. He closed the door before joining his brother on the outskirts of the woods.

They sped through the trees at vampire speed. So adept were they that they did not disturb the piles of fallen leaves and skirted the low hanging branches without leaving a tell tale swish. They stopped only when they reached the back of the Salvatore boarding house. Keen ears distinguished the sounds of three occupants. Two were the ones they sought.

Elijah whispered in an ancient tongue, the sound similar to the rustle of a breeze through leaves. "I'll take care of Damon."

Klaus nodded. Elijah opened an unlocked back window and stuck his hand through. When he was not blocked they both climbed in. In the old language Elijah criticized, "Young vampires are so ridiculously complacent. You'd think they would deed the house to a human to somewhat protect themselves. So careless."

Klaus's eyebrows rose. "Since when have the Salvatore brothers ever done anything even remotely intelligent?"

Elijah smiled for the first time. "So true."

As one they turned and whooshed into the huge front parlor stretching the length of most of the house. They found Damon and Elena cuddling on one of the long overstuffed sofas. Stefan stood next to the main fireplace gazing into the empty hearth, one hand resting on the mantel piece. So fast were the Originals that the knowledge of the attack never registered on the three vampires' faces. Elijah broke both Damon's and Elena's neck at the same time. He left her sprawled on the sofa while he grabbed Damon by an arm, dragging him off the sofa and down the paneled hallway. He remembered the location of the door leading to the basement and callously dragged the vampire, head bouncing on each step until he came to the cellar dungeon. Elijah threw him in, slamming the heavy oaken metal bound door. It shut with a satisfying clunk. He tested the strength of the door with a hand and nodded satisfied before shooting the bolt. As he started to leave, he noticed an iron bar leaning in a corner. He picked it up and bent it around the door grill and the side frame. Only supernatural strength would be capable of removing it.

He whooshed upstairs to find Klaus leisurely pouring himself a glass of Damon's finest brandy. The hybrid poured a second glass and pushed it towards his brother.

Stefan lay on the floor, the angle of his neck indicating the reason for his unnatural stillness.

Elijah took the brandy glass, swirling it and sniffing. "Whatever you want to say about Damon his taste in liquor is impeccable."

Klaus lifted his glass in silent acknowledgement before draining it. "Is Damon tucked away?"

"In the same cell he put me in." Elijah made no attempt to hide his satisfaction. "I doubt if anyone will find him for awhile, and he won't get out on his own."

"Revenge brother?" Klaus made a show of quizzing him.

"Revenge," Elijah confirmed. He looked around while he drank his brandy. "The rugs here are exquisite."

Klaus nodded and pointed to the walls. "I particularly like the paneling." He frowned considering. "I thought about doing something similar, but it really wouldn't work in New Orleans. Too heavy for the décor."

Elijah stood back, considering, and then nodded. "I agree." He looked again and then added, "Shame really."

Klaus poured himself another measure, smacking his lips over the taste. They finished their drinks and then each one hoisted a vampire over their shoulder. They sped back to the car where they dumped Stefan in the trunk. There was a huge duffel sack in the back taking up the rest of the room. Klaus's brow wrinkled as he looked at it. "Did you pack the kitchen sink?" he chided Elijah.

"Best to be prepared," was the acerbic response. "I don't like winging it."

Klaus carelessly thrust Elena into the back seat and then climbed in after her. He allowed Lucy to stay seated in the shotgun seat.

Elijah carefully adjusted his suit pants before sitting in the driver's seat and starting the car.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Really? I don't think a suit is the proper attire for where we're going."

Elijah, long inured to Klaus's taunting, paid absolutely no attention. He made a neat u turn and drove to a place he would never forget. It had taken a great deal of maneuvering and lying to find it. Night had fallen when they pulled up at the old abandoned house. Klaus politely opened the door for Lucy, helping her out of the car. She made no effort to run, even though her eyes were frantic.

Klaus smiled. "See Elijah, witches aren't so bad when they're not on vervain."

Elijah smiled back, shaking his head ruefully. "I've always like witches. Mother was one, don't forget."

Klaus's eyes turned murderous, his good mood ruined. "No, I never forget."

Elijah popped the trunk, pulling out Stefan and dumping him, before carefully removing the full duffel bag. Klaus opened the back seat door and dragged Elena out to rest on the ground. Klaus casually kicked the two vampires awake. Stefan clumsily got to his feet, moving his neck stiffly. Klaus cupped his chin, dilating his pupils. "You will do what I say. You will not run." He waited until Stefan nodded before releasing him.

Elena slowly got to her feet, looking around distrustfully, unable to suppress a moan when she recognized where they were. Elijah politely brushed the dirt from the ground off her clothes.

Elena implored. "Elijah, what's going on?" She instinctively turned to the brother who had shown sympathy for her in the past. She feared and distrusted Klaus. "Where's Damon? Is he okay?"

"Damon is alive but back at the Salvatore house." He grabbed her by both shoulders and compelled. "You will do what we say. You will not try to escape."

No sooner had he released her then Klaus pushed her hard in the back indicating she should move. The hybrid grabbed Stefan by the collar of his sweatshirt, unceremoniously dragging him along not caring if he stumbled. His iron grip did not allow the vampire to fall.

They pushed through the woods towards the house. Elijah carefully held branches aside for Lucy. The wind stirred, picking up as if it recognized and resented the intrusion of the vampires on its grounds. The blood moon had not yet completely risen, but it seemed to embrace the dilapidated wooden building.

The closer they moved to the house the fiercer the wind howled. When they reached the doorstep Klaus pulled Lucy forward, shouting, "She is a Bennett. She has the right to enter."

The moaning and creaking gradually died down, and he crossed the threshold with Lucy, dragging Stefan behind him. Elijah followed, his hand firmly gripping Elena's upper arm.

Elena kept looking from side to side. The air was heavy and oppressive as if the house disapproved of them. She knew as a vampire that she didn't need to breathe, but it didn't stop her from feeling stifled, as if the house denied her the right to be here. She looked over at Stefan, and he was reacting the same way she was. He caught her looking at him and briefly smiled trying to reassure her. They both jumped when they heard moans and shrieks. They stood back to back trying to pinpoint the sounds, but they couldn't.

Lucy and the Originals did not seem to be affected the way they were. Klaus impatiently pushed them along. Elijah led the way through several rooms. Both she and Stefan knew the route; knew where they would end up.

As they moved through the house, they passed through alternating patches of darkness broken by moonlight peeking in through holes punched in the walls and roof. Broken window panes did funny things to the red tinged moonlight shining through them, throwing distorted shadows. As both vampires feared Elijah headed towards a doorway where the stairs lead down into the basement. Elijah wrapped an arm around Lucy easily carrying her down the stairs along with the duffel bag. The vampires did not need light to see, but she would have come to grief on the rotten stair boards.

When they reached the basement, he put her down on the dusty floor.

Klaus pushed the captive vampires to the side and faced her. "You need light."

Lucy raised her hands and mumbled words under her breath. The hundred candles placed throughout the basement were suddenly lit. It didn't make the basement any less spooky, if anything it was better when it was all dark. Now there were shadows in the corners, shadows that seemed to ebb and flow as if there was something living hiding in them. The air was even more stifling down here. Elena's eyes shifted from side to side. She swore there were whispers in her ears.

_You are not wanted._

_You do not belong here._

Stefan jumped suddenly, and Elena wondered if heard something too.

Elijah opened the duffel bag and took out two old leather bound books. Klaus busied himself gathering several low metal tables together in a makeshift altar. He upended a wooden crate close to the tables.

Klaus looked over his shoulder as his brother reverently placed the two books on the crate. Elijah, looking up, answered Klaus's unspoken question. "Our mother's and Celeste's."

Klaus smiled. His brother was a careful guardian of all things valuable to their family.

"Are you sure tha—" Elijah did not get to finish his words.

"Before I left Mystic Falls with my little ripper and my family's bodies"—he had the grace to look slightly embarrassed as he took in Elijah's expression—"I made sure I moved them here." He nudged Stefan with his boot. "I made him show me where they were buried. It was what she told me to do if things went wrong." He paused, looking at Elijah under his brows. "And you and Damon made them go so wrong."

Elijah wasn't moved. "If things didn't turn out the way they did, you would have killed your doppelganger and never been able to make hybrids. You should thank me."

Klaus sent a vengeful look at Elena. "Much good that did me."

Elena shivered, fearing the hybrid's temper. Stefan moved in front of her, hoping to deflect his anger. Elena leaned against him taking comfort from his closeness. He wrapped an arm around her.

Klaus's mood abruptly changed, and he cheerfully asked, "Lucy, luv. What do we do?"

Lucy was carefully reading through the grimoire identified as Celeste's. She turned to look at Stefan and Elena huddled together. "Their blood will give me the power to do this."

She pointed. "Bring them to the altar."

Elijah took additional items from the bag while Klaus roughly grabbed them forcing them to their knees next to each other. He looked over at the utensils his brother held and joked, "You packed perfect."

Klaus ripped off Stefan's sweatshirt leaving him bare-chested and then tore off Elena's sleeves.

"Please Elijah. Help us," she begged.

"This is to protect my family, Elena." Elijah was clearly regretful but adamant. "It must be."

Lucy carefully sliced their wrists with an ornate knife. If one looked closely it was the knife used to impale both Klaus and his brother. She handled it carefully, not letting it get away from her. When she slit their wrists she forced metal springs inside to prevent them from healing. She positioned their wrists over a large ornate highly decorated bowl that Elijah had provided. She murmured under her breath as the blood flowed into the bowl.

"What is it with our blood?" Stefan complained trying to make a joke to ease Elena's mind.

Lucy replied as if he had asked a serious question. "Doppelganger blood is very potent. Especially doppelgangers that were born here. It is twice as potent. The Original witch used doppelganger blood to set the spell that enchanted her children. Using this knife and my spells as the blood flows gives it a power that is practically limitless. There is so much magic tied up with your existence."

Klaus added his mite. "And since you're both the last doppelgangers it's even more so."

Elijah simply watched, standing at ease. His immaculate suit, tie and crisp white dress shirt looked out of place in the dank basement. His highly polished shoes seemed immune to the dust that was everywhere. Not a hair was out of place in contrast to the others who all had dirt smudges of some kind.

By now the bowl was filled with their blood. She removed the metal springs holding open the wounds, and they soon healed. Lucy picked up the bowl holding it in the crook of her arm, using a finger and an incantation to swirl patterns of power in the blood. She spoke in a language she did not know. It was as if the ceremony was directing her, not the other way around.

Lucy patted the altar. "Place her bones here and the others on both sides."

Klaus strode over to a crevice hidden by junk and returned carrying three body bags. He carefully placed the smallest dirt smeared bag on the altar and the others on each side pushing Elena and Stefan back from the altar.

She returned to Celeste's grimoire running a finger over the lines on a page. She closed her eyes briefly and then nodded at Klaus who zipped open the body bag. He pushed aside the rotten clothes. What little flesh remained clinging to the bones was dried up. She carefully anointed each bone with the doppelganger blood. She repeated the procedure until all the bones were covered. When she stepped back, Klaus zipped the bag closed.

She placed the bowl of blood on top of the grimoire and stood at the head of the altar. She chanted a ritual over and over again, starting quietly and gradually increasing the volume as she repeated it. The candles burned brighter and higher reaching for the ceiling.

Voice shrieked around them. _"No! It is an abomination. Stop this!"_

Shadows, some as insubstantial as smoke, others clear enough to see shapes and features circled around the altar protesting. Some battered at Lucy pulling at her hair and buffeting her. Suddenly three shadows emerged. The figure of a young man, still a boy, a mature man, and a young woman just crossing over the gap from girlhood gradually grew clearer. They joined hands around Lucy forming a triangle shape of strength and protection. They joined their voices to Lucy's, chanting the incantation with her, the sounds growing louder and stronger until it rang in the vampire's heads. None of the shadow shapes could now touch Lucy. The keening and wailing in the background was gradually overpowered by the combined voices of the dark shadows and Lucy. As the objections died down, one shadow detached from the triangle to be replaced by Lucy. The shadow, now a black cloud, hovered over the body bag appearing to be sucked inside. When the black cloud disappeared the two other shadows faded until they were no more. Lucy collapsed to the ground drained of all energy.

There was movement on the altar. Without hesitation Klaus stepped up and unzipped the bag.

A young beautiful woman sat up looking around until her eyes landed on Klaus. "Hello, luv."

"Greta, darling. How I've missed you."


	2. Chapter 2

He pushed both sides of the bag down and away from her, reaching out a hand to help her stand. He gripped her small waist and easily swung her down to stand naked next to him.

Elijah quickly stripped off his jacket, carefully laying if over her bare shoulders.

She twisted her neck as she felt the material touch her skin. A curious look, a knowing smile, and she turned back to face Klaus. "No need to tell me. Your older brother, Elijah?"

Elijah helped her as she sought to find the arm holes and slip her hands into the sleeves.

Klaus grinned, eyes twinkling, spreading his hands wide in an elaborate shrug. "Yes, the one and only, my honorable older brother."

"You must be Greta Martin. I knew your father and brother." Elijah made polite small talk as he reached into his duffel bag one more time. "May I help you on with these?" He held up a pair of panties.

She grinned. "How very thoughtful. Father approved of you by the way."

Klaus rolled his eyes.

Elijah knelt holding out the silk panties. She put both hands on his shoulders to balance herself and stepped daintily into them. When he tried to rise she kept pressure on his shoulders until he looked up at her face, and then she slid her hands down his chest as he rose, her hands ending up on top of his large ones still holding her panties at her hips.

A provocative half smile played on her lips, and her eyelashes fluttered as she spoke. "I'll have to get to know the other member of the family."

Elijah's eyes widened while Klaus smirked. "Playtime later. We have work here."

Her expression turned serious. "Did the new order come about?" She caressed his skin, closing her lids as she felt him with her senses. She opened them, big brown eyes gleaming. "You've changed. Transformed. It worked." She looked around her for the first time, really taking in where they must be. "Yet, you did what I asked you to do if something went wrong." Her voice held wonder.

He stepped close holding her eyes with his and solemnly pronounced, "I promised you I would. I did." A little half smile followed as he gently lifted her chin with one finger. "I haven't had a good dance partner since I lost you."

She smiled up at him, adoration making her eyes sparkle. "Is everything good then?"

He shook his head. "No. We're claimed New Orleans, but there's a teenage witch, incredibly powerful, allied with a vampire. Let's just say that it's causing me a great deal of problems." He sighed and bobbed his head from side to side as he enumerated the rest of his woes in a bored tone. "Then there's more witches and were wolves and vampires, and I have a child on the way, and I need to protect my family."

Her eyes widened in awe. "A child! Nature always has a loophole." She shot him an admiring glance. "This really is a new order."

She glanced around, taking in the candles, the altar, and the two women one laying on the floor and the other one bending over her. Finally her eyes slid over to Stefan. She recognized him from the ceremony where she broke the curse. "Ah, the gallant vampire who offered himself up in place of the Aunt. I need to seal this." She met Klaus's eyes waving her hands to indicate everything in the room.

His eyes danced as he smiled that one sided smile that always melted her bones. "Then, let's do it."

She watched as Stefan helped Lucy back to her feet, and the three of them stood together. She felt Lucy's power and jerked her chin at the woman. "The witch that brought me back?"

Klaus brushed the back of his hand against her soft cheek. "She's a Bennett witch love. I wanted to make sure you came back and came back powerful."

She closed her eyes, cherishing the feel of his fingers against his skin. She slowly opened them, practically purring. "Doppelgangers and a Bennett witch. You always give the best, luv." She smiled. "Oh the possibilities. I can have so much power." She walked around Klaus running a finger chest high over his shirt. "You know how I love power."

He stared at her, eyes flashing, mouth set. "Grab as much as you can. Secure it whatever way you need to." He lifted his chin. "We have a world to rule."

Elijah, watching the byplay from where he stood, raised an eyebrow.

Stefan and Elena shifted uneasily. Lucy's breathing was uneven, and she moaned softly, but Klaus's compulsion prevented her from defending herself.

"I have my mother's grimmoire." Elijah informed her.

She turned, excited. "The Original witch's?"

Klaus answered. "The one and only, may she rot in hell."

"The last remaining doppelganger on earth is a vessel of unlimited power." She pointedly glanced between Stefan and Elena, her meaning immediately clear to both brothers. She whispered in Klaus's ear, "To the tenth power more than two."

It was clear to Stefan also, and he pleaded. "Kill me. Let her live. She and Damon . . Please Klaus. Let her live."

Greta tilted her head. "This sounds so familiar. He's like a broken record."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "So predictable and so very boring with this Elena always comes first nonsense. I'll have to do something about that."

"No! Don't hurt him!" Elena called out.

Greta, hands on hips, made a face, looking her over. "I thought she died?"

"Long story, luv. My nasty mother playing one of her pranks. I'll fill you in later." Klaus laughed for a brief moment then the smile faded to be replaced by a menacing expression and cruel smile. "I want my ripper. It's time to be done with her."

She pointed to Stefan. "Place him on the altar."

Klaus ordered Stefan to lie on the altar, and though he struggled he could not overcome the compulsion. She grabbed his one arm and spell bound it to the corner of the altar and then did the same to the other arm. When she finished with his legs he was spread eagled on the altar unable to move. She sliced her hand anointing his forehead with her blood. As she touched him she inhaled sharply, eyes losing focus.

"What?" an alarmed Klaus demanded. "Something wrong?"

She smiled, shaking her head in denial. "Oh no. Not wrong. Not wrong at all. Did you know his soul was pure?"

Klaus shrugged, mystified. "So what?"

It was Elijah who responded and he did so with immense satisfaction. "It is written that a doppelganger will be born with a pure soul, and he will be the last. A tenfold power? How about a hundred fold power? Bind him to a witch, and they will be unstoppable."

He met his brother's eyes. "If she can pull this off, Davina will be an annoying insect she can squash. His soul will allow her access to not just this power,"—he spread his hands to encompass the cellar—"she can hijack the power in New Orleans." He clenched his fist, holding it high in victory.

Greta raked Elijah over with an appraising glance. "Not just looks, brains too." She arched an eyebrow at him. "Did you by any chance bring your mother's spelling mixture?"

Elijah reached into the duffel bag bringing out a leathery container. He handed it over. She reverently received it gazing at it with immense satisfaction. She looked up with a calculating eye. "I wonder what other treasures you have hidden around the world."

He smiled slyly. "To one with our family's interests at heart there could be many."

She placed the jar near Stefan's head leaving it open. She carved symbols in his chest with the ornate knife and packed the cuts with the powder from the jar. Stefan's screams of pain seemed to soak into the wooden walls as if the house was absorbing his pain. Elena and Lucy covered their ears but could not drown out the sounds. Tears ran down Elena's cheeks, but she could not overcome Klaus's compulsion and go to him.

Greta stroked his cheek with one finger. "It's the vervain in the powder. It burns, but it's necessary. Soon your pain will be over." She gently soothed him and then sharply ordered, "Make them kneel on either side of him."

Klaus roughly pulled the two girls forward, pushing them to their knees.

"I need strips of cloth or leather." She turned to Elijah only to be met with a shrug and a frown. "I didn't bring any."

"What?" Klaus mocked. "The ever resourceful Elijah forgot something?"

"I didn't notice you providing anything?" Elijah quickly rebutted.

"Now that's where you're wrong." Klaus adopted a superior tone. He strode over to his brother yanking his expensive silk dress shirt out of his pants. He ripped off two strips of material causing his brother to demand, "Couldn't you have used that Henley you're wearing?"

"You were in charge of supplies," Klaus countered. "No reason I should ruin my clothes because you messed up."

Elijah sighed as Greta giggled. "Oh, you two are going to be fun."

Klaus dimpled at her as he handed her the strips. "We are, luv. You have no idea."

She walked to Lucy first binding her wrists together with the cloth and a spell and then tethering her to one of Stefan's wrists.

"Please," Lucy begged. "Not this."

"Hush, darling." Greta stroked her hair while Lucy cringed at her touch. "You get to see your Bennett ancestors."

"Not this way," Lucy pleaded.

"It will bind you to them." Greta mock consoled before walking around to Elena on the other side.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked Greta. She turned her gaze to Lucy and repeated, "What is she doing to us?"

Lucy answered her with a moan while Greta tied and spelled Elena's wrists. She picked up Elena's chin digging her nails into the skin. "You would have been far better off to die when your Aunt did."

Elena defiantly pulled her head away, Greta's nails raking her chin, but her eyes were huge and frightened.

Greta surveyed the scene. Satisfied, she retrieved the bowl with the remaining doppelganger blood. She poured some on Lucy's head and some on Elena's. She dipped the fingers of both hands in the bowl coating the tips with the red liquid. "Elijah, hold your mother' grimoire where I can see it."

The Original picked it up from the upended crate and stood next to the witch. She circled her hand over the book, and the pages flipped by themselves startling the Original. He stood his ground however while she placed three fingers of each hand on Stefan's temples. The open page held a central symbol inside a triangle with ancient writing on the three sides.

A thought struck her, and she looked up as if she could see through the two floors above them to the sky. "You would have brought me back at the full moon. What moon is it?"

Elijah grinned, baring his teeth. "The blood moon."

She laughed with sheer joy. As she recited from the page the candles flared high. He felt the power emanating from her. His hair felt like electricity was coursing through it. She chanted louder in the ancient tongue, closing her eyes briefly. When she opened them again they glowed with a strange blue light. Elijah rocked back and forth hanging on to the book which bucked and fought to free itself as if it had a life of its own. Even Klaus standing back against the cellar wall was buffeted by the force of it.

The girls joined her in the chant, the words pouring from their mouths as if another spoke through them.

The girls suddenly screamed as the blood on their heads ignited and they began to burn. Stefan screamed with them. Their screams at first blended with Stefan's and then rose in a shrill crescendo. Greta chanted louder and the flames from the candles rose. As the flares rose the girls burned brighter. Greta kept her fingers on Stefan's temple while blood dripped from his ears and nose. The girls' screams died down at they crisped down to ashes. The silk strips binding them to Stefan crumpled into ashes. His skin was singed at the wrists, but he did not catch fire.

The blue in Greta's eyes gradually extinguished leaving them their customary brown. She removed her hands from Stefan's face and picked up his wrist. She brushed off the ashes to reveal an intricate tattoo. The same symbol that decorated the spell page in the grimoire. She smiled and shook his other wrist to reveal a matching tattoo. She pushed back Elijah's jacket, tilting her head back and forth to study the same symbols on her wrists.

She threw back her head and laughed out loud, reaching her hands out to the blood moon that she could now feel was at its apex.

Far away as if in a shadow world she saw images.

_Bonnie Bennett, heart breaking as first Lucy and then Elena approached her. "No . . no . . no," she pleaded, crying and then screamed in agony as they passed through her._

Greta smiled briefly as Bonnie fell to the ground. So much for the witch who thought she could oppose her. That power that fueled the Bennett's was hers now. The power of the hundred witches held in thrall by a triad; her father and brother with Lucy replacing her.

She stood a moment with Klaus and Elijah anxiously watching her. A deep sigh and then she swung her arms wide, arching her back like a cat enjoying a good stretch. Electricity seemed to crackle through her hairs and out her fingertips. Her eyes glowed again briefly with that unworldly blue light.

"I feel good," was all she said. The candles slowly died down and went out.

She carefully walked over to Stefan, bare feet making tracks in the thick dust on the floor. She put a hand under his head, lifting it, delicately slapping a cheek. He moaned as his eyes fluttered and then opened. He looked disorientated, in shock. There was no light of recognition in his eyes. "Who are you?" she asked.

His lips parted, but no sound came out. He strained but finally shook his head. "I don't know."

"All yours luv." Greta gracefully waved an arm at Klaus, allowing his head to sink back to the altar

Klaus walked over and helped Stefan to sit up. He sat next to him on the altar, wrapping a companionable arm over the confused vampire's shoulder. He took Stefan's chin in his hand. "Your name is Stefan Salvatore. You have served our family since we turned you over one hundred and sixty years ago. But you're more than our servant. You're my friend. " Klaus beamed. "And you're my sister's lover. I think when we get back to New Orleans, you'll call her and beg her to come back to you."

Elijah snorted.

Klaus swung around, arching an eyebrow at him. "You object?"

Elijah made a mock bow. "No, I bow before your devious mind. What better way to draw our sister back and put her under your influence once more? He's the only other man besides Marcel that she was willing to leave you for."

He shook his head in unwilling admiration. "You are without equal in deviousness."

Klaus accepted his brother's admiration as his just due. He turned back to Stefan holding his eyes. "You are totally loyal to us. She" —he turned Stefan's head towards Greta—"is your partner in protecting us." He smiled showing his dimples. "That's enough for now. I'll fill you in on the rest later."

Stefan nodded, attempting to rise to his feet but was too weak to stand and his legs gave out.

"Brother will you do the honors?" Klaus asked. He stood brushing off his pants to stroll over to Greta. Elijah sat on the other side of Stefan, rolling up his sleeve. He bit into his wrist offering it to Stefan who latched on sucking hungrily. When Elijah judged he had enough, he tried to take his wrist away, but Stefan growled like a dog over a bone refusing to let go much to the amusement of Greta and Klaus.

Elijah rolled his eyes and forcibly pushed the vampire away.

"Come, my little ripper. That's enough for now. We'll get you more later." Klaus called out.

"Is that what you call me? Ripper?" Stefan asked.

Klaus nodded. "It's my pet name for you."

Greta stirred. "One last thing, and then we can ditch this one horse cesspool of a town."

The three men watches as she spread the remaining doppelganger blood around the dust strewn floor where it seemed to suck into the hard packed dirt.

Noticing their stares, she explained, "I'm sealing the source of power so no one else can access it." She smiled. "Of course they can die trying."

She looked over at Klaus mischievously. "Now, luv. I believe you're having a problem with a witch. Should be easy enough to fix. My power is sealed with the blood of the doppelgangers and a blood moon. The last doppelgangers, born in Mystic Falls. Forever rooted in the soil, the soil where one hundred witches burned, and my family formed a bond with them through the blood of a Bennett witch."

She cupped Stefan's cheek with a loving hand. "And I have the last doppelganger on earth to help me with my spells." She pouted playfully. "We need to stop at a really high end store. If I'm going to kick some tweeny teenie witch ass I'll need some kick ass clothes."

"That's my Greta." Klaus smiled and kissed her hand.

She turned to Elijah, pointing at the grimmoires he was packing up. "I want those."

He lifted them, allowing them to rest on his open palms and walked over to her. He offered them to her with a nod of his head, a gesture of respect. "You've earned them."

She smiled. "I do so love a gentleman." She nodded back. "Please carry them for me. "

He shifted the grimmoires to carry them under one arm, and picked up the sack with the other one. He then politely offered her the crook of his arm. "Let me help you up the stairs."

She wrapped her arm through his. As they started up the stairs she leaned provocatively against him. "Tell me. Do you dance?"

He smiled back at her, conscious of her charms. "I do. We're throwing a party this weekend. I hope you'll save me a dance. That is, if my brother doesn't object."

"Do you object, luv?" Greta threw over her shoulder.

"Not at all, provided you save the last dance for me." Klaus had a hand on Stefan's back urging him up the stairs.

"Always luv. Always," Greta purred, her eyes shining with love.

~ FIN ~


End file.
